Take Back America?

In the last few months, with the Republican Primary race sucking up all the commercials in your area if you’re an Iowan, we’ve heard a lot of talk about, “Taking Back America.”

When the potential Republican nominees say this, they mean a few things:

First and foremost take back American from our current Democratic President, Barak Obama

Second, “Fix” his left wing, job-killing, American-hating, communist-regime like policies (how many adjectives can one use in a sentence? LOTS!)

Finally, bring America back to a simpler, happier time…when we were undoubtedly big-dog on the playing field and no one could say otherwise.

I most definitely agree that the Republican party right now is trying to take back America…but not in any of the right ways.

The policies over the past two years that the Republicans in congress have brought up legislation that will significantly curtail social services that the people, from the poor, to the old, to those that just need a little help in the country depend on (nope, not just the “black people” as Rick Santorum thinks, but the poor people of any ethnicity). Two glaring examples:

A) Cutting WIC (Women, Infant, and Children) a program started by Bob Dole and George McGovern to help provide adequate nutrition to, you guessed it, Women, Infants, and Children. But clearly, to the right-wing, that’s a giant money drain. Damn those little babies for being born poor. They should pick themselves up by their own bootie-straps (get it, booties?)

B) Completely getting rid of Medicare (the insurance people qualify for when they turn 65 I believe), and instead replacing it with a voucher system! Yep, that’s right, when you turn 65, and you’ve served your country for your entire life, paying your taxing, stimulating the economy by buying that extra big-screen TV, they want you to now navigate the confusing world of insurance! By yourself. Instead of just covering you because you deserve it, the right-wing wants you to take a voucher (that is worth less than the cost of most insurance), and buy it yourself. Yeah, they really care for the average person like that.

Additionally, over the past two years that have also pushed to undermine agencies and policies that are important to protect the well-being of the average American. I won’t even go into their extreme, and unfounded opposition of the Affordable Healthcare Act, why you ask? Because I don’t give lying students the time of day, why give lying politicians the time of day (another reason why I’m anti-Mitt Romney). Anyways, one examples of this:

A) The act that prompted me to write this post in the first place, the opposition of Richard Cordray as the new head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Basically the CFPB was brought into existence to protect consumers from the acts of predatory lenders in the future, you know…those same lenders that ushered our way into the mortgage/financial crisis we’re in now.

Why did they do this you ask? Was he unqualified? Nope, attorney general of Ohio, Treasurer of Ohio, pretty darn qualified for the job. They blocked him because they don’t want the agency in existence. Without a head, the agency has limited legal power to act, meaning it can’t actually do it’s job…protecting consumers. That’s excellent for Republicans, because they don’t want that! Their stated purpose was not to find a good head for the agency, but instead to block any nomination because they didn’t want the agency in existence. Ahhh, politics.

So what did they do? Instead of recessing like they were supposed to on December 23rd. They’ve kept congress “in session” by opening up pro-forma sessions with one guy, saying there’s not enough people to hold a session, and closing it. This, by awkward definition, keeps Congress in session, and was meant to prevent President Obama from recess appointing Mr. Cordray. Childish, I know.

Epic fail. He did it anyways, saying that Congress was basically on recess and that

“When Congress refuses to act, and as a result, hurts our economy and puts our people at risk, then I have an obligation as president to do what I can without them.”

And the point goes to the sane President Obama!

I could go on and on, but then I would be late to teach my first period class, and things would just go downhill from there. Basically, what I’m trying to say is that I don’t want some guys saying they want to “Take America Back.” Nope, because clearly, the back they’re looking for is pretty messed up. I want a guy who is smart, capable, and has a track record of pushing America into the future, even though clearly many Americans have a short-term memory (hello, stimulus anyone?). I want President Obama for a second term to take America into the future.